Pennsylvania’s New Truancy Law and the Student Assistance Program

Pennsylvania’s Governor signed new truancy legislation, taking effect for the 2016-17 school year, with the express purpose of improving students’ attendance and deterring truancy through a “comprehensive approach to consistently identify and address attendance issues as early as possible through credible interventions.” With the above in mind, schools should use their Student Assistance Program (SAP) building teams to support the efforts of the new truancy law, particularly with early prevention of school absences, well before they become chronic.

Typically, the initial SAP referral is made by a concerned school staff member as a result of one or a combination of observable behaviors, triggered by a change of a student’s usual pattern of attendance, academic performance, health, and/or general behavior. In those cases where SAP is already involved with a chronically absent student, participation by a SAP team member greatly augments the School Attendance Improvement Plan (SAIP) by providing first-hand historic and informational background whenever the SAIP stakeholders meet to discuss a particular student’s case.